Melissa Taylor is a mom of two girls, an education blogger & writer, a children’s book expert, a former award-winning bilingual teacher with an M.A. in Education, a former literacy trainer for teachers, and a passionate advocate for literacy, representation in children’s literature, and high-quality education. She has taught ESL, bilingual kindergarten, bilingual 4/5, 4th, and 5th grades, and coached teachers in K-12 grades. In addition, she was a four-time consecutive winner of Outstanding Teacher in Douglas County, Colorado. She loves to make learning fun, engaging, and meaningful for kids by providing helpful information and resources for parents, grandparents, teachers, and librarians.

She consults with children’s authors and illustrators in her business, Imagination Soup Consulting. In that capacity, she helps authors improve their school visits with presentation tips and personalized, interactive, and educational activities customized to their books. She also supports authors with publicity, marketing, and author branding.

She's the Communications Chair for The Right Step Board of Directors. The Right Step, Inc is an adaptive riding barn that serves veterans and adults and children with disabilities.

Learn more at: https://melissataylor.net/

Claudia Rueda is a Colombian author and a New York Times Best Seller illustrator of over thirty picture books. Rueda's books have been published in the United States, Mexico, and Spain and have been translated into seventeen different languages. She’s a 2016 Hans Christian Andersen and Astrid Lindgren Awards nominee. Claudia went to Law and Art school and worked as a political cartoonist in Colombia. She then studied Children’s Book Illustration at UC Berkeley and holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA. Claudia lives in New York City and teaches a course on picture books at the School of Visual Arts. Learn more at: https://claudiarueda.com/

Olivia Abtahi is a proud Iranian Argentinian American. Her debut novel, Perfectly Parvin, was published in 2021, receiving the SCBWI Golden Kite Honor, YALSA Odyssey Honor, and numerous starred reviews. Her sophomore novel, Azar on Fire, was published in August 2022 and is a SLJ pick. Olivia's third novel, Twin Flames, is a New Visions Award winner and published in August 2024. The Interpreter is her first picture book, receiving five starred reviews. She currently lives in Denver, Colorado, with her husband and children.

Learn more at https://www.oliviaabtahi.com/